JR200 info needed

[Bjösha]

Does anyone know something about the estonian regiment JR200 (Suomen Pojat) that fought in the finnish army during WW II? My father served in this regiment but doesn´t want to tell me anything about it. So maybe you can tell me somethiong or give me info. on where to look?

[Esa K]

Hi

As a start, if you read Finnish, some books:

Mutanen, Jorma: Jalkaväkirykmentti 200 : virolaisten vapaaehtoisten historiikki Suomessa ja kotimaassa toisen maailmansodan aikana Luumäki 1991, ISBN: 952-90-3222-6

Isohella, Anne-Riitta: Suomen-pojat : virolainen jääkäritarina, Helsinki 1999, ISBN: 951-566-020-3

Korjus, Jaakko: Viron kunniaksi : talvi- ja jatkosodan virolaiset vapaaehtoiset, Hämeenlinna 1998, ISBN: 951-23-3819-X


And if you read Estonian:

Vabaduse eest : Soomepoiste lühielulood / red: Margus Leemets,Tallinn 1997, ISBN: 9985-60-347-8



Regards

Esa K

[Eisenfaust]

You can start from Harri's page:
http://www.geocities.com/finnmilpge/fmp_jr200.html

=E=

[Tero T]

I believe there will be two new books published on JR200 in english. One will be in the U.S and another here in Toronto. The Suomen Pojat still have a veterans group here . The person who is finishing his work on this unit is in his 70's and not on email. But I can get information from him and pass it on. As Toronto has a large Estonian community I have run into many ex German army and Finnish army vets. Many have passed on due to age in these very recent years. Tero T Toronto

[Uninen]

My father served in this regiment but doesn´t want to tell me anything about it.

No wonder as we turned them over to the Soviets.

Here is a web page official one dedicated to them:
http://www.suomenpojat.fi/

[Tero T]

Here is some pics from JR200 from my collection. Actually my collection started 20 years ago with the purchase of this album at a gun show. It was being sold as German and when I noted it was Finnish the price went down to half. What has bothered me all these years is that here is a man’s history and It will be lost to time unless I can eventually put some names to the faces . One day someone will have the information as to whose photo album this is. Most of the pictures are taken from the Rajajoki area where JR200 was during the continuation war. Maybe your father is in these pics.
Regards
Tero T [/u]

[Tero T]

some more

[Janne]

All but a little under two hundred men returned to Estonia in August 1944. Those who remained were formed into a company (which was no longer deployed at the front) and the men were given an opportunity to flee to Sweden. The majority took this option, but some of those who chose to stay were arrested and "repatriated" (according to an interpretation of the peace treaty) before 1948.

(Many former soldiers of JR 200 who'd fought in German uniform managed to flee to Sweden later and some of them were denied asylum because they were SS-soldiers and they were forcibly returned to the Soviet Union.)

[Harri]

Tero, I promised to send you private mail concerning photos but I've not yet done it. This threat also contains very interesting photos.

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I/JR 200 (I Battalion, former Finnish III/JR 47) intended for those volunteers with a military training and combat experience was initially located at Jalkala, Karelian Isthmus. Without doubt the men in these photos belong to I/JR 200.

Also [AT] Gun Company (Tykkikomppania, Tyk.K) or 14./JR 200 was at first trained on Karelian Isthmus but was moved to Taavetti at the beginning of June 1944.

Volunteers who had no former military training were in II/JR 200 (II Battalion) at Taavetti (Luumäki) in Infantry Training Centre 26. On 18.2.1944 HQ of this training centre actually became HQ/Infantry Regiment 200 (JR 200) although the training centre also existed until 22.6.44.

[Tero T]

Thanks for the information Harri!
When you send me your message please send your telephone number and home email . I speak to a number of Finns to keep my spoken language (broken) somewhat intact. Regards Tero T

[Peeter]

All but a little under two hundred men returned to Estonia in August 1944. .)

I think you made a little mistake here.Correct number should be 1752, so under two thousand.

[Janne]

If there was a mistake, it was a mistake of grammar. I meant "kõik peale ligi kakssada tulid tagasi Eestisse" (if that's good Estonian).

[Harri]

I/JR 200 (I Battalion, former Finnish III/JR 47) intended for those volunteers with a military training and combat experience was initially located at Jalkala, Karelian Isthmus. Without doubt the men in these photos belong to I/JR 200.

After looking these photos again I think these could also well be the men of III/JR 47! This battalion had Estonians already since 1941/42. IIRC Estonians of JR 200 had a small sleeve badge which these soldiers don't have. Are there any hand written text with the photos (back of the photos)?

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For the question if Estonians fought well the answer is yes. But only I/JR 200 participated in the delaying battles in June 1944 while II/JR 200 and other regimental units were still under training. Regiment was joined together when it was moved to Bay of Viborg where it was next to German "Greif" division and partly for a short time even under its command! Actually JR 200 was never in the "hottest spots" because it was later spared for the battles in Estonia.

[Tero T]

After looking these photos again I think these could also well be the men of III/JR 47! This battalion had Estonians already since 1941/42. IIRC Estonians of JR 200 had a small sleeve badge which these soldiers don't have. Are there any hand written text with the photos (back of the photos)?

The photos had no writing on the back or on the album pages. This is always frustrating. The only writing is the photographer's business stamp on the back of the album owners military school photo. Your information on the sleeve patch was also of interest to me. I was under the impression that most of the Estonians in JR200 wore this. The one attached was given to me by a JR200 veteran Villi Mulaste (now deceased). The living bunker(Korsu) named Casino I understand was a well known facility in the Rajajoki area . These two pieces of information are all I had to make the connection to JR200. Thanks to all again for the informative posts. Tero T

[karjala]

Добрый день!

Имееться информация о боевом пути JR200 в 1944 году? Или список их потерь.

Были реальные боевые дейстия JR200 совместно с дивизией Гриф? Если были, то где именно?

put your source code, correct:

Good day!

There is also information about fighting ways JR200 in 1944? Or a list of their losses.

There have been a real battle reach between JR200 with the division Grief? If you were, then where is it?